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Church of England Briefing - Succession to the Crown Bill

The Government's Succession to the Crown Bill will receive its 2^nd Reading and complete its remaining stages in the House of Commons on Tuesday 22^nd January 2013.

This Government and the previous Government have consulted closely with senior Church of England figures throughout the long process which has led up to the introduction of this Bill.

In a speech in the House of Lords during debate on the Queen's speech on 14^th May 2012, the then Bishop of Blackburn said: "the references in the humble Address to reform of the rules of royal succession are sensible and timely. I know I speak for all on these Benches when I say that we wish the Government well in their present consultations with the other Commonwealth realms. We look forward to and hope that it will then be possible for the necessary Bill to pass quickly through both Houses of Parliament."

The Bill:

Clause 1 - Succession to the Crown not to depend on gender

The move to amend the rules of succession, to enable the first born child of any person in line to the throne to take their place in the line of succession regardless of gender, is welcome.

Clause 2 - Removal of disqualification arising from marriage to a Roman Catholic

For the Church of England the key issue is the current statutory requirement that the Sovereign join in communion with the Church of England. The Bill leaves that unchanged. Future Sovereigns will therefore continue to be able to take their place as Supreme Governor of the Established Church.

The present prohibition on anyone remaining in the line of succession or succeeding to the Crown as a result of marrying a Roman Catholic is not necessary to support the requirement that the Sovereign join in communion with the Church of England. Its proposed removal is a welcome symbolic and practical measure consistent with respect for the principle of religious liberty. It reflects the sea change in ecumenical relations over recent decades.

The proposal in clause 2(2) that the new position should apply retrospectively to marriages that took place before the new provision comes into force is also welcome.

Other Clauses - Consent of Sovereign required to certain Royal Marriages etc.

There are no Church of England concerns about the timely and helpful reforms in clause 3 to the requirement for the consent of the Sovereign to certain Royal Marriages or to the remaining provisions of the Bill.

Fast-tracking

The use of fast-tracking procedures is acceptable for the reasons outlined by the Government in its explanatory notes to the Bill.

The text of the Bill, explanatory notes and details about its parliamentary progress can be viewed on the UK Parliament website at: http://services.parliament.uk/bills/2012-13/successiontothecrown.html